My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
For several years I had Freedom in a barn that had real problems with mud in the spring. It caused some issues with hoof wall quality but never in all those years did he have thrush. Now he’s in a barn with nice dry conditions and yes, he has thrush. I suspect it occurred because […]
Read MoreYesterday I commented on a horse forum about my experience boarding at a co-op. I’ve been at this barn for almost 9 years now (!) and the post made me reflect on how much my horse care practices have changed since I moved there. In general, I’ve become both more knowledgeable and more tolerant. The […]
Read MoreFreedom has now been barefoot since October and his feet keep looking better and better. Here’s the progression. It’s funny. I never thought that Freedom would be able to go barefoot because I’ve had so much trouble with his feet. My farrier was the one who suggested that I pull his shoes and see what […]
Read MoreDo horses need winter shoes? Like most equestrian questions, the answer is, “it depends.” Certainly horse owners need to come up with a strategy that allows for adequate traction, that prevents snow from balling up in the hoof, and which provides enough protection for the amount and type of riding you want to do. What […]
Read MoreCurious to find out if your feeding regime is meeting your horse’s nutritional requirements? http://www.feedxl.com is offering a 24 hour free trial of their basic “lite” service. Plug in your data and see if your feeding your horse appropriately. Feedxl.com makes recommendations based on your horse’s age, weight, body condition, workload and health. You enter […]
Read MoreLast week it was cold. The ground was hard and their was ice everywhere. It was too cold to ride and the footing was awful. I felt like hibernating. Last night we had 8-9 inches of gorgeous, powdery snow! Okay, it was still too cold to ride (my cutoff is 20-degrees and this morning it […]
Read MoreIt’s been a month since I had Freedom’s shoes pulled (the great barefoot experience is underway). I had expected the worst: a horse that was too footsore to ride; the loss of an entire hunt season; hooves that chipped; and bruising or abscessing. When I had to take Kroni’s front shoes off he was miserable. […]
Read MoreI had planned to pull Freedom’s shoes this winter and let the nail holes on his hoof grow out. In the spring we had a lot of mud and the wet/dry cycling did not help his TB feet. Although the new growth looks good, keeping shoes on him has been tricky and has required careful […]
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